Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter

Smooth, drippy pumpkin spice almond butter spiced with the taste of fall – cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg all enhanced out by a touch of salt and a bit of sweetener.  I used stevia in this recipe but this would be amazing with a tablespoon of maple syrup or agave nectar instead.

My thinking out loud post today is sponsored by my lack of sleep and my sick puppy 🙁

So half marathon training is a lot harder this year for some reason.  I used to get my long runs in at night on Sunday or Monday but my schedule really isn’t working well to have night runs. I think I need to move these to Saturday or Sunday mornings but omg I love sleeping in and my legs take forever to warm up in the morning.  Anyone have tips on how to become a morning runner without dreading the first 3 miles?  Wish me luck, I’ve got to run 7 miles this weekend y’all – eeek!

Speaking of running… I went for a nice 3 mile run yesterday during lunch. It was sunny and 75 – talk about amazing.  I don’t know about you but I can’t stand to run with my hair falling out of my ponytail.  And of course this was the situation yesterday –  so I decided to fix it during the downhill portion of my run since I tend to slow down going down hill anyway.  Of course this is the only time on my run where there are people around.  And of course I fell.  Face planted into the ground is probably a better description. I was mortified and I scraped up my hand and knee pretty bad.  But I learned a long time ago – get up and go because once you decide to stop it’s really hard to get started again.  The lady walking toward me had a look of overwhelming concern on her face.  SIGH.

I’m usually pretty decent at multitasking during a run but I haven’t been sleeping much (hello 2 am bedtime).  My sweet Sugar bear hasn’t been feeling well and I have been spending a ton of time keeping her comfortable and making sure she eats and gets water.  I never thought about how hard it is to get a dog to drink water. HOLY MOLY its frustrating.  Any and all suggestions are welcomed.  There is nothing I won’t try right now.  She’s heading to the vet if she doesn’t turn around (I’ve already had a vet to the house – she’s got a kind of doggie vertigo called vestibular disease). It will go away on it’s own, it just very scary when she doesn’t want to drink any water and is dizzy all the time.

But I try to keep a positive attitude and when that doesn’t work I eat my feelings.  And man have I been eating a lot lately.  Homemade snickers, almond joys, pumpkin spice granola and pumpkin spice almond butter on pretty much anything I can think of.  My favorite ways to enjoy this so far has been slathered on bananas and apples, in my pumpkin pie smoothies, on greek yogurt with frozen raspberries and blueberries  and honestly right out of the jar has been pretty fantastic.  I am going to make a big batch this weekend and attempt to make pumpkin spiced cookies with it.

There is no wrong way to enjoy this pumpkin spice almond butter.  By roasting the almonds for a few minutes before blitzing them in the food processor, helps get the almonds ready to release their natural oils.  If you are patient you will get drippy, slightly sweet and very fall spiced butter that is even better when it has time to cool off.

I have to warn you though – make more than you need.  This pumpkin spice almond butter is seriously addicting and you will find so many ways to enjoy it!

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Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter

Smooth, drippy almond butter spiced with the taste of fall - cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg all enhanced out by a touch of salt and a bit of sweetener.  Gluten free, dairy free, vegan

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 279 kcal

Author Sam

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsalted almonds
• 1 scoops stevia
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp clove
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

1. Toast 2 cups of roasted unsalted almonds (2-3 minutes) or toast 2 cups of raw almonds (8-10 minutes) in a 350F oven.  Add hot almonds to food processor and add 1-2 scoops of stevia and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Blend 5-7 minutes in food processor until butter forms.  You may want to scrape down the sides 1-2 times in the process depending on the food processor.  Once butter has formed, add 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp clove and 8-10 grates or 1/4 tsp nutmeg.  Pulse 1 minute further until combined.  Scrape sides and pulse again 30 seconds.

Nutrition Facts

Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter

Amount Per Serving

Calories 279 Calories from Fat 207

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 23g 35%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Potassium 336mg 10%

Total Carbohydrates 11g 4%

Dietary Fiber 6g 24%

Sugars 2g

Protein 10g 20%

Calcium 13.2%

Iron 10.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

What about you?

• Do you have a favorite brand of hair ties or headband that helps keep your hair up when running?
• Have you ever fallen on a run?
• Do you make your own nut butter at home?